TBILISI, January 8 – Georgia’s Interior Ministry says it has arrested a suspect over a deadly shooting at a jewelry store in the southern town of Marneuli, following a joint operation with Turkish police.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, officers from Georgia’s Kvemo Kartli police and Turkey’s Artvin provincial police tracked down and detained a man born in 2002 near the Kartsakhi border sector. The arrest was made as part of coordinated cross-border efforts.
Investigators say the suspect opened fire inside a gold jewelry shop in Marneuli, wounding a father and his son before fleeing the scene. Both victims were taken to hospital, where one later died from gunshot injuries.
Authorities say the suspect was identified shortly after the shooting and placed under active search measures. He is charged with attempted intentional murder and the illegal acquisition, possession, and carrying of a firearm.
The case is being investigated under articles of Georgia’s criminal code that carry a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The Interior Ministry thanked Turkey’s Interior Ministry and customs and trade officials for their operative cooperation, noting that close coordination between Georgian and Turkish law enforcement has led to the resolution of multiple serious crimes in the past.
